Joining the impressive list of motorsport talent taking part in Perth Speed Fest on December 13 is World Rally driver Alister McRae, 500cc Motorcycle hero Daryl Beattie, Perth teenager and V8 Supercar driver Alex Rullo and Asia Pacific Rally driver Dean Herridge.
They join Formula One star Daniel Ricciardo, Australia’s only living F1 champion Alan Jones, the only Australian on the MotoGP grid Jack Miller, reigning Australasian Superbike champion Wayne Maxwell, V8 Supercar drivers and brothers Will and Alex Davison, V8 ute racer James Brock, motorsport broadcaster Greg Rust and V8 pit lane reporter Riana Crehan.
Alex Rullo, now 15, is a V8 Supercar superstar-in-the-making and in June, became the youngest ever driver to win a national Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS) circuit race when he crossed the line at Winton, at just 14 years of age.
The Year 10 Trinity College student recently claimed the title of the 2015 Kumho Tyres V8 Touring Car Series Runner-up and Rookie of the Year.
"I feel really honoured to have been invited to be a part of the 2015 Perth Speed Fest and to have my name in the driver line-up next to some of my idols,” Rullo said.
"I'm looking forward to meeting Daniel Ricciardo – he’s a great ambassador for Australian motorsport and also catching up with Alister McRae, who originally taught me car control."
Experienced rally driver and off road racer Alister McRae’s latest adventure was a brief foray in the now abandoned national series of the Extreme Rallycross, which he explained could be compared to Twenty20 cricket as opposed to Test matches.
The McRae name has been synonymous with rallying around the world for three decades, with father Jimmy and sons Colin and Alister having won just about every title there is to win between them.
McRae has raced in all manner of events; on a bike in off-road endurance event the Australasian Safari, he won the 2011 Asia Pacific Rally Championship, and has raced the clock in 80 World Rally Championship events across the globe.
Another rally ace joins the Perth Speed Fest team, too. Dean Herridge has driven in 54 international rally events, including 13 times in Rally Australia.
“My most memorable event was the 2006 Rally Australia where I finished on the podium in the Production WRC class and in eighth position outright – those were great days,” Herridge said.
“I’m looking forward to getting on the twin dirt track at Perth Speed Fest – it’ll be like the good old days of Rally Australia’s Super Special Stage.”
On two wheels, Daryl Beattie is one of Australia’s most loved motorsport heroes. A six-year competitor in the 500cc World Championship, Beattie’s best was in 1995 where he was leading the championship, then despite breaking a collarbone, finished the season runner up.
Beattie’s relaxed and modest manner made him popular on and off the track. Since retiring in 1997 after a number of serious injuries, he has retained his status as being a household name and has been an integral part of Network Ten’s motorsport team for the past 16 years.
Beattie will be on track at Perth Speed Fest riding a CBR1100XX Honda Blackbird.
Perth Speed Fest Event Director, Greg McNeil, said that besides the exceptional line up of motorsport talent, young and local drivers and riders will be on track.
“Providing a platform for young and local drivers to perform in front of a crowd is part of our event strategy,” McNeil said.
“And, importantly, supporting women in motorsport by showcasing some of our female racers. I tell you, these girls don’t hold back and are just as quick as the boys in their categories.
“Needless to say, they are all thrilled to be alongside names like Ricciardo, Jones, Miller, Davison, Maxwell, McRae and Beattie,” McNeil said.
Girl racers include speedway pocket rocket 21-year-old Laura Byrnes and Australia’s fastest woman and the first female to obtain an Australian jet dragster license, 20-year-old Rhiannon Allison.
A local quickly making a name for himself is former world-record holder for the fastest quarter mile in a top alcohol funny car, drag racer Craig Glassby.
Glassby is one of the drivers that will go head to head against Ricciardo at Perth Speed Fest. Ricciardo, in Red Bull Racing’s RB7 2011 world championship winning F1 car, will put the F1 car through its paces with laps of the track before lining up against other cars three times throughout the day in a spectacle set to thrill fans.
Perth Speed Fest will be held on 13 December at Perth Motorplex and consist of 60 separate events showcasing more than 25 disciplines of motorsport on five customised track layouts.
For a schedule of events, more on each of the motorsport stars, maps, information, and tickets, visit www.perthspeedfest.com.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
